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North America , South America, the Caribbean, and Caribbean Cruises |
 THE
RELAXING AND EXCITING MAYAN RIVIERAby Garrett Fisher Seattle, WA (6/6/03) Last January, my partner Nathan and I, along with a group of his friends and relatives, traveled to Mexico. On the advice of Joy Thrun, the group picked the Iberostar Tucan resort which is 45 minutes south of Cancun, near the small town Playa Del Carmen.
On another evening, we walked up the beach about a mile, to the small town of Playa Del Carmen (you can also rent bikes from the Iberostar, or take a taxi). This unassuming little place offered a variety of restaurants and shops, and was a fun diversion. It reminded me of one of those quaint villages that you might find near the Mediterranean. All in all, thanks
to Joy, we had a wonderful visit. Next time, we plan on staying longer!
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If
you¹re looking for an easy, relaxing vacation, in a beautiful location
at an all-inclusive resort with many options for outings and activities
-- then this the place for you.
The
Iberostar is located on the "Mayan Riviera" and looks out over
the ocean. The property was designed to take into account its surroundings.
Not only is the layout of the property open and welcoming (offering a
beautiful pool, a great white-sand beach), but it has preserved the jungle
feel. At this property, one can walk a number of winding stone paths,
see pink flamingo¹s, monkeys, and a variety of exotic birds and plants.
In addition, one can kayak, wind-surf, snorkel.
The
resort is a great place to unwind and rest. At the same time, if you venture
outside of the Iberostar, there are a number of things to do. On one day,
several people in our group scheduled their own sightseeing journey to
the nearby Mayan ruins of Chichen-Itza. On another day, Nathan and I rented
a jeep and explored the coast (a four wheel drive is recommended when
driving on these dirt roads), finding several uninhabited beaches, as
well as Xel-Ha ("shell ha"), which is a environmentally-aware
theme park. While the ticket price was somewhat steep, it was well worth
it. The park provides several inlets where you can snorkel, swim next
to fish that are almost as big as you are, as well as see fish and other
sea life that are of every color of the rainbow. I would recommend purchasing
underwater disposable cameras, as we took a lot of pictures of the sea
life. We intended to finish the day at the Mayan ruins of Tulum, which
overlook the ocean, but we lost track of time snorkeling, and got there
a little too late.